Mormonism

The Mormon Pioneer Trail is a 1,300-mile travelled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1846 to 1868. The Mormon Trail extends from Nauvoo, Illinois on the Mississipi river, passing through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Eastern Utah to Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Mormon pioneer movement began in 1846 when, after having been driven once again by mob violence from their settled home, the Saints decided to establish a new home for the church outside the established boundaries of the United States. The trail was used for more than 20 years, until the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.

Among the emigrants were the Mormon handcart pioneers of 1856-1860. Two of the handcart companies, led by James G. Willie and Edward Martin, met disaster on the trail when they departed late and were caught by heavy snowstorms in Wyoming.

Once the Mormons arrived in Salt Lake, some were asked by the Prophet Brigham Young to go settle other places such as Genoa, Nevada; St. George, Utah; Cardston, Alberta, Canada and many other settlements in the territory of Deseret.

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According to official 2008 year end statistics, there are 38,188 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Portugal. To learn more about the Church in Portugal, visit the "Related Link" below.

The Mormon Trail was traveled almost constantly for over 20 years. As the trail goes through the center of the United States, the weather was typically hot and somewhat dry in the summer, and cold and snowy in the winter.

I would say that Brigham Young's biggest weakness was that he was a tad overzealous at times. He was a great leader, but sometimes took his authority to the extreme. Most of the 'extreme' things that he asked his people to do were rarely obeyed, such as avoiding loud laughter at the theatre and wearing the 'Deseret Costume'.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon is a nickname) were forced to leave Nauvoo, Illinois by mobs. The exodus started 04 Feb 1846 with the last leaving Nauvoo in September of 1846. During that time around 14,000 members went west across the Mississippi River into Iowa, then on west across Iowa. They were headed to the Rocky Mountains but weather and the on coming winter forced them to stop in Kanesville (today Council Bluffs), Iowa. Early in 1847 the first of many wagon train companys, handcart companys, etc made their way on west to the Great Basin (today Salt Lake City, Utah). This movement lasted for the next 10 years (1847 thru 1858) inwhich around 70,000 members settled the Great Basin. Today Salt Lake City, Utah is where the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is located. (See www.LDS.org)

After the Book of Mormon was found, people became angry. They martyred the Prophet Joseph Smith. Afterwards, persecution for the Mormons became worse, and they decided to move to Utah for a place to live without persecution.

Both Mormons and homesteaders faced the problem of living far from 'civilized' society. Getting supplies from the east was difficult, so most were forced to live entirely off the land.

As of January 2012, there were 14.4 million baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) worldwide. Membership statistics of the Mormon church are calculated each January and reported each April.

Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow were the lead elements of the advance party to scout out the valley and find the Donner trail. They arrived in the Salt Lake valley July 21, 1847, a full three days ahead of Brigham Young and the main body of Saints.

The Mormons were a religious group founded by Joseph Smith. They moved west because other religions were prosecuting them and they needed a new place where they wouldn't be bothered. They first went to Salt Lake. That is where Brigham Young said "This is the place."

Brigham Young was ordained an Apostle on February 14, 1835 under the hands of the Three Witnesses; Oliver Cowdry, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris.

The Three Witnesses were called by revelation to choose the Twelve Apostles and were "blessed by the laying of the the hands of the First Presidency" (Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams) to ordain the Twelve Apostles (see Church History Vol 2 page 187)

Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdry received the Melchizedek Priesthood in 1829 under the hands of Peter, James, and John. They were visited by Peter, James, and John who were sent as resurrected beings to restore the Priesthood authority to the earth. (See Doctrine and Covenants 21:12-13)

Peter, James, and John were ordained Apostles by the Lord Jesus Christ. (See John 15:16)

Brigham Young was ordained an Elder on the date of his baptism, April 14, 1832 by Eleazer Miller, however, Priesthood lines of authority are counted from the highest office of priesthood received, so the line of authority extending from Elder Miller is insignificant.

As of December 2010, there have been 16 presidents in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly referred to as "Mormons"). The succession order of the prophets goes as follows, and can be remember by this catchy song:

Latter-day prophets are, #1, Joseph Smith,

then Brigham Young.

John Taylor came third, we know,

then Wilford Woodruff,

Lorenzo Snow.

Joseph F. Smith (remember the F).

Heber J. Grant,

then George Albert Smith.

David O. McKay was followed by

Joseph Fielding Smith.

Harold B. Lee,

Spencer W. Kimball,

Ezra Taft Benson,

Howard W. Hunter;

Gordon B. Hinkley lead the way,

but Thomas S. Monson leads today.

Some of the hardships facing Americans during World War II was the loss of a male figure in the home. The United States was just getting over the Great Depression years and then war broke out. Many families were still trying to stay afloat. Rationing of commodities was also a problem.

A prophet named Joseph Smith was given revelation about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints otherwise known as Mormons. After he started to teach about the gospel he learned about, many did not agree with it and were mad. They thought Joseph Smith was crazy and sent many mobs to hurt him. Other Mormon families were persecuted and ridiculed during the late 1800's and 1900's. Some reasons why people did not like them were because at first they had practiced polygamy although it is not allowed in their religion anymore. Also, they believed they were the only true church and in many different things people just weren't used to. They had to move to many different places in the U.S. and it was extremely hard for them.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) does not keep records on the race of their members, so there are not official numbers on how many blacks are members of the Church. However, the Church has experienced a lot of growth in Africa as well as predominantly Black areas of the Southern United States over the past 20 years, as well as a lot of growth in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and other predominantly Black areas - so there is quite a large percentage of Black Mormons.

Dozens of groups travelled the Mormon trail over a period of about 20 years. The length of time it took to travel the trail depended on the starting point, mode of travel, weather conditions, and who was in the party. A group of a few men on horseback or in a small wagon could make it in a matter of a couple weeks. Groups like this consisting of misisonaries assigned to the east coast or Europe were a common sight along the trail. A large group of families traveling in a wagon train would take a few months, and a large group traveling by handcart would take several months. Some started from Illinois, some from St. Louis Missouri, and others from other states in the east, where they had arrived from Europe.

The Mormon pioneers moved west in search of religious freedom. They were kicked or chased out of Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, where they had previously gone looking for a place to practice their religion in peace.

The Mormon Trail was used from 1846 until the railroad came through to Salt Lake in about 1870. After the 1870's it was still used by those who desired to travel by wagon or coach rather than train, until more suitable roads and interstates came in the 1900's.

Church headquarters and the majority of members voluntarily left New York for Kirtland, Ohio in 1831 because it was found to be a more suitable location. Several years later, persecution lead them to leave Ohio and seek refuge in Missouri. They were kicked out of Missouri when the governor of the state issued an order to 'exterminate' the Mormons from the state. They left Missouri to go to Illinois, where persecution and violence against them increased to the point that the local government asked them to leave so that peace could be restored in the area. They left and traveled to Utah, a land that was considered undesireable, in hopes that they could finally live and worship in peace after 15 years of persecution.

Brigham Young was the Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Later Day Saints by the time the Mormon migration reached Utah. Prior to Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, originator of the LDS led the Mormons until he was killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, in 1844.
The first group of Mormon Pioneers was lead to the Great Salt Lake by Brigham Young. Later groups were lead by experienced trail guides who had traveled with Brigham Young previously.

While traveling, there were very few opportunities for fresh food. Most of the food supplies that were taken on the trail were things that are shelf stable, such as cornmeal, flour, grains (wheat, oats, etc), dry beans, and dried/salted beef or pork. Men hunted for fresh meat when they had the opportunity, women gathered edible plants along the trail when they could be found. In some areas, fruits and vegetables were planted along the trail to be harvested by later groups.

Approximately 2% of Americans are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the 'Mormon' Church).

The concentration of Mormons is much higher in the western US than in the east. For example, in Utah, about 60% of the population is Mormon. Arizona is 6% Mormon, Washington state is 4% Mormon, and Wyoming is 11% Mormon. Compare these numbers to east coast states, such as New Jersey (0.4% Mormon), New Hampshire (0.6% Mormon) and Alabama (0.7% Mormon).

The Mormons were persecuted and driven out of the eastern states by extreme violence and government orders. They moved west in search of a place where they could practice their religion in peace.